La Blogothèque Showing at Centre Pompidou

On Thursday, the 12th, in the Cinema in Centre Pompidou in Paris, the co-creator and many people involved in La Blogothèque‘s incredible concert series, “Take-Away Shows” or Concerts à Emporter, held a showing of some selected clips. This was held as part of the Cinésong series used to promote musical films. I met up with a friend who hadn’t heard of the site before and, at the end, was taken by what they’ve been creating.

For those of you who don’t know, the Concerts à Emporter series was created by Chryde and the director Vincent Moon. With a desire to shake up the way the media approached music and film, the duo began filming musicians performing intimate, spontaneous performances in a way to reflect daily life in Paris. Eventually the program grew outside of the city, reaching all the way to Atlanta, New York, and many other locales. The series has branched off, encompassing other cities in the City Series program produced by Kidam. This one, in particular, emphasizes music from other cities starting with Bordeaux.

Three particular films left lasting impressions, solidifying the musicians in my mind and forcing them to the top of my figurative “To Do” list. Watch the following, which were shown in the entirety (except the first, in which they only showed the first song). Other musicians highlighted included Camille, Grizzly Bear, R.E.M., and Fleet Foxes. Chryde premiered an upcoming session featuring Patrick Watson.

The first is of the Zurich, Switzerland singer, Sophie Hunger. This is the full mini-concert as opposed to Shape, the first song, that was played at Pompidou. Within the span of two years, she has emerged from obscurity to recognition by French and German press. She’s returning to Paris for five shows at La Boule Noire from March 23rd-27th.

The following I had never heard of before. At first, I was slightly confused as to who exactly was singing as well as why this was chosen. When Thomas finally sat down in front of that Steinway and started, I knew exactly why.

Bon Iver is huge now. No need to mention the critics’ acclaim. Personally, I chose this more to show what these concerts display best-the city abruptly interrupted by the unexpected. The balance between the scenery, the atmosphere, and the music is unparalleled.